Features Beyond Compare
by Silver Hearted
Summary: Some of his friends were very blantant in their discussions about which of a woman's features they found the most attractive and, occasionally, Ichigo mused to himself about which was truly the best. A series of drabbles. IchiRuki.
1. Hands

**Disclaimer: Okay, you caught me! I don't actually own this other than the plot. The fantastic characters and setting all belong to the genius that is Kubo Tite.**

**Anyways, this just popped into my head randomly a few hours ago while reading so it's kind of rough because it was rushed. I feared it would slip out again. Hope you like it!**

_Hands_

He often wondered what it was that drew him to her; what made her such a desire that he was so immediately starved for her presence, even when she'd only just left the room.

Perhaps the problem lay with her hands. Those exceedingly delicate hands that tapered out into slender fingers which seemed more elegant than his imagination could have ever come up with on its own.

Her nails fit in with their artful counter-parts. They were unadorned by colors or those little stick-on jewels that many girls seemed to favor, simply adding to their grace.

Despite the ruff-and-tumble times they faced, he could always count on the ten, perfect little surfaces to be polished and carefully shaped. She would never deign to bite on them either. It would be far too unrefined a habit and, undoubtedly, she'd see it as a sign of weakness to be so addicted to an action.

But that wasn't all. Not by a long shot it would seem. Her palms and the pads of her fingertips held him captive too. The rare times that they had rested unabashedly across his bare skin never failed to send electrifying tremors straight to his already bursting heart.

The back of her hand was no less amusing to him. How she managed to keep it so unmarred by scaring in contrast to his own was a mystery. She'd been at the job far longer than him.

None of that could draw his attention away from the big picture though. He hands were so small and fragile looking that he often found himself longing to trap her gentle appendages between his own and just hold on until all of the storms had blown over.

She'd never allow that though. Her hands were capable of such strength and will that she rarely let herself indulge in the safety of others when she was still able to stand by herself. Sometimes, he wished she saw that she didn't always need to face the torrents alone.

No matter how he fell asleep the night before, he would invariably wake up to find himself facing his closet in profound expectation. And as soon as he saw her hand appear to slide open the door, he realized that it didn't matter what her hand looked like, so long as it was her's that blessed his vision.

**There you have it, my first ever published work, even if it is just a drabble. I would love to get reviews, especially because I'm considering continuing on with each chapter capable of being a oneshot, but still have them all able to tie together in the end. Just tell me what you think because the ideas are coming on strong.**


	2. Feet

**Disclaimer: Again, I sadly own nothing.**

**Alright, so the previous part was written with a really detached style until the very end in my opinion. But I kind of think that it worked best that way. I never mentioned names and, even though you could figure out who it was about, the characters weren't perfectly clear until the very end. This time, there is more of a plot to the fic and I guess you could consider it more "attached."**

_Feet_

He couldn't help but notice a most curious habit of her's.

There was little else to distract him on the way home from school should a hollow fail to appear. Besides, if she ever turned around, it was far better to be caught watching her feet than her backside. She would only come to one, rather obvious conclusion, if she saw him staring there.

So his attention was kept downwards on the simple movements that held him entranced. She walked as if her feet were following along with a choreographed pattern. Even spins were thrown in upon occasion.

The greater the distance between them, the more pronounced it became. She would start walking up on her toes and almost hopping along to some imaginary rhythm.

He'd briefly wondered if those little actions were simply a facet of women that was impossible for people bearing a Y chromosome to understand. It wouldn't be the first time he'd dealt with such an issue. In the end, his theory was quickly disproved by those who passed them on the other side of the street.

But as soon as he heard the hollow phone ring across the distance between them, he saw another possibility. Like a professional athlete, she was poised on her toes, ready to run.

And maybe that was the simple truth: she wasn't enjoying herself; she was nervous for action. Always prepared to bolt at a moment's notice or dive to the side.

That explained why he'd never noticed such a unique action in others. Who else was so constantly attacked or asked to fight that they needed such a defense mechanism? Why would a civilian ever even consider it? But the two of them, they would always be fighters which meant that a single phone call could mean the worst and they'd better be on guard.

At his approach though, she visibly relaxed. No longer tense, with each step closer, she fell just a little further until her feet rested directly on the pavement.

And when he finally stood in front of her, the sigh of relief he heard was stifled, but audible enough for anyone paying attention.

They were easily within touching distance and she was now perfectly calm. Despite the looming threat, she was exactly how she should be.

When they were together, her safety should never be an issue. He'd make damn well sure of it.

**So, what did you think of part two? Better? Worse? I have to admit that I liked _Hands_ more, but I'd toyed with this idea before and only now saw the opportunity to use it. When I was thinking this through, I just couldn't get it to work the way I wanted in the same style as before. Even now, I'm a little disappointed with the result, but I want to thank everyone who has bothered to read it. The feedback that I've gotten so far has been great and given me a major boost in confidence. **

**Thanks so much and feel free to keep on reviewing!**


	3. Eyes

**Disclaimer: Je ne possède rien.**

**I had originally planned for the next piece to be about her skin or maybe the way he is soothed by her reiatsu, but a review mentioned writing about her eyes and I just kind of went with it. I would have gotten here eventually, but it just wouldn't have been the same and so I'm happy that this is what's been posted. If anyone has ideas about what they want to see next, feel free to mention them in a review and we'll see what happens.**

_Eyes_

There's something to be said for blue eyes. But whatever those words, they have nothing on the deep indigo ones that she bears.

Two innocent pools of infinite depth that had somehow managed to pierce right through all of his carefully crafted defenses. And she didn't even have to work hard to do so either. For her, getting through to him came as naturally as breathing. It was effortless.

Don't let that be any indication for how she sees others though. She could stare at them to her heart's content and still come up clueless. Ironically, he liked that.

Most would be happy to keep some sense of mystery between themselves and their partner. For she and him, the knowledge they had of one another only served to prove the strength of their bond.

As cold as so many perceived her to be, he knew the truth. So much could be read from her eyes alone that he often found himself taken aback by the emotions they revealed. Such beautiful, beautiful emotions.

Even when they preceded an attack on his shins from the midget herself, who else could look into those indigo irises and know exactly what was coming for them? Who else would proudly take it?

If he wasn't watching her eyes, he was still aware of their presence. The glares she directed at his back, that infinitesimal warbling that he was loathe to deny should he meet the gaze and the gently drooping lids she always tried to hide as a denial to her exhaustion.

Sometimes, when he carried her across his back, she would incline her head in such a way that her lashes swept over his neck, his cheek, his shoulder or that oh-so-sensitive place behind his ear and down a little.

The chills he'd get were so addictive that, ever since the first time it occurred, he'd been sure to work carrying her into their normal routine. So what if she could shunpo again? He was faster so obviously she should rely on him in all matters concerning transportation.

And if, Kami forbid, she ever caught up to his pace, surely by then he would have admitted a better reason to carry her over the threshold.

**I was simply letting the words come to me as I wrote and didn't have any plan in mind. When I got to the end, I was like, "Woah, that's so sweet . . . I absolutely have to use it as my closing line." Well, if you don't get what I consider to be a rather obvious reference, then I guess the last line doesn't matter, but it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.**

**P.S. I'm going to be gone for the next month at a French immersion camp and will be totally cut off. So, I won't be posting anything for the next four-ish weeks, but I'll work on writing some more oneshots and do some rapid fire posting when I return. Keep up the reviews because I look forward to reading them every time. Thanks!**


	4. Hair

**Disclaimer: I only own the plot.**

**Woot! I've finally returned from French camp. Well, I actually got back in late July, but things have been so hectic that I haven't been able to post anything. I hope that you'll forgive me considering this installment is about twice as long as the others. I really am sorry for the delay. All of your comments were so inspiring that I wrote secretly in English during my time away and this is but one of the results. I hope that you're happy with it and I got some great ideas while I was gone, so I might be posting a story in the near future. I just have to finish working out the ending. Anyways, on to what you've all been waiting for.**

_Hair_

Taunting him . . . that's exactly what it was doing. With a big _nya-nya-nya-boo-boo_ on top too.

She'd fallen asleep on his bed in her spirit form. He'd be sure to yell at her later for breaking their unspoken understanding. He'd thought that her coming to him directly after escaping the clutches of bastard of a brother was a no-brainer.

Instead, here she was.

He'd been forced to leave his physical form in a mod soul's incapable hands at school. Silly him to assume that she'd be excited enough to at least meet him half-way after finally returning to the living world for the first time in almost four weeks. Even worse, how the hell did she manage to crash completely on his bed within the thirty seconds it takes him to shunpo home?

But maybe she was in such a rush that she'd exhausted herself. That would certainly explain why her hair was now spilled precariously across his pillow. Maybe that was why the strands that always adorned the center of her face were now tipped gently out of place and practically pleading at him to be righted.

The temptation was an exhilarating one and as each second passed he found his right hand reaching further forward of its own accord.

Okay, not of its own accord. The desire to touch her hair had been growing at an ever increasing rate for longer than he'd care to admit. And now, the perfect opportunity had presented itself and the odds were in his favor that he could escape getting kicked for it.

But he shouldn't give in to the craving. Chances were that as soon as he learned the truth, his affliction would only continue to grow.

On the other hand, how could anyone blame him when he'd managed to hold himself back for so long? And besides, what kind of hero would he be if he didn't give in to his weaknesses every once in awhile?

By the time his common sense broke through his thought processes, he found himself on his knees at the edge of the bed; his senses double checking for anyone nearby that could possible catch him in some act of questionable nature. Such questions he would be anything but eager to answer.

Nope, no risk of being caught. All clear other than the man walking his dog on the other side of the street.

Alright, he would do this once and once only. His motivation was based solely in innocent curiosity. No one could hold that against him. No improper intentions here.

Okay, there goes nothing. Five, four, three, two, one . . . TOUCHDOWN!

Silky, smooth perfectness greeted the sensitive nerves of the pads of his fingers. Each fine strand was baby-soft and seemed to slide with only the barest brushes of friction across his skin. Definitely way better than he'd imagined.

He could feel the addiction in the making. So much for his resolve of this being a one-time-only deal.

He allowed himself one last savourable moment as he moved the hair back in place as cautiously as possible. With a stifled sigh, he inched away and sat with his back rested against the foot of the bed.

No, he'd have to contain himself. They were partners and it just wouldn't do to complicate the situation.

Neither of them would be aging anytime fast and he was stubborn enough to insure they'd be paired up together for centuries. Possibly even as much as a millennium if all went well. He could be patient and wait it out for their circumstances to change.

In defeat, he turned over so that his upper-body rested completely on the end of the bed. From this angle, he could barely see her face, but the sight of her chest rising slowly with each breath came as a comfort.

He cushioned his head atop his left arm and with his right, he steadily reached out. He curled his index and middle finger of one of her pant legs and relaxed.

He permitted himself to take in a final sigh of her reiatsu and then drifted off to sleep contented in the fact that her underlying cherry blossom scent was sure to leave its traces where he slept.

His final thoughts revealed the truth though: patience smacience, he'd be lucky enough if he could wait another month before taking matters into his own hands.

**Ugh, the silly spell-checker kept popping up at me for using the word 'savourable.' I totally think that's a word. Oh, well.**

**I guess that I was trying to go for a bit more of a comedic aspect in this one, but I don't know if that comes across very well. Sorry.**

**Feel free to recommend what you'd like to see next. I get better ideas from random suggestions than from my own imaginings it seems. Thanks!**


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